This carol is purely wishful thinking on my part. The forecast for today is for 39°C – appallingly hot for December – and a bit of frosty wind feels as though it would be very welcome just now. Especially as I still have to do all my Christmas baking!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hs9-Sxf9j4&w=420&h=315]
I have to confess that this is not exactly an Advent Carol. In fact, today was meant to be The Truth Sent From Above, but as I was looking for the King’s Singers version, I found their recording of Spem in Alium, a piece designed for eight choirs of five voices.
Since there are only six singers in The King’s Singers, I immediately had to see how they’d managed it…
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJDLQZWKWe8&w=420&h=315] Continue reading
I had such good intentions for this Advent Calendar, truly I did. I thought it would be nice to share with you some of the more beautiful Advent music out there, and I have. But this is Friday, which means that even beautiful music must have an edge of silliness to it.
This is another medieval carol, and it’s actually very gorgeous both in lyrics and tune and I really love it. And this arrangement is spectacular.
There’s just one little problem with it: it has an orgasmic alto line.
No, really. I can’t listen to this one without giggling, no matter how good my intentions. It’s fairly absurd even if one doesn’t have a dirty mind, but if one does, oh dear. See (or rather, hear) for yourself.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0Yod6A403s?rel=0]
Here’s something a bit different that I found when I was looking for a version of a piece we sang in choir a few years ago. And yes, this is indeed the piece we sang. But we didn’t sing it quite like this…
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsG-etzMdQQ&w=420&h=315] Continue reading
After all the sad and contemplative carols of the last few days, I thought we deserved something cheerful. But what? I was sort of tempted by Masters in this Hall, an old favourite of mine, but it’s kind of terrible, as even I have to admit (I love it, but it so easily turns into a pub song). And I thought about For Unto Us a Child Is Born, but we already did Handel, so that’s no good..
So then I thought that we are probably about due for an Australian Carol. Which is why we’ve ended up with a Catalan one… No. No we haven’t. Though there is a Catalan Carol of the Birds too, and it’s fairly gorgeous. I recommend giving it a listen.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJH9ToUdMBQ&w=420&h=315] Continue reading
A bit late today, because WordPress ate my Coventry Carol post, and I only just noticed. I’m afraid I’m too tired to write it all out again, so you may have to settle for beautiful and haunting music with limited commentary…
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jIYyPOoEc8?rel=0] Continue reading
We had our Carol Service at Christ Church today, which means I am feeling thoroughly descanted, always a pleasing feeling, and in a mellow sort of mood. And also as though Christmas really is close, which is definitely where this music fits…
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7ktvmY6lTI&w=420&h=315] Continue reading
Today is Gaudete Sunday (Gaudete is Latin for “Rejoice”), which is notable for the fact that the liturgical colour is Rose, which means priests in pink vestments and great swathes of hot pink fabric draped over the purple that was covering the cross at the Catholic church I sometimes sing at.
This is clearly a reason to rejoice, and who better to rejoice with than the Mediaeval Baebes?
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmbBjvsHng0&w=420&h=315] Continue reading
I was going to do another Magnificat, this one by Purcell, but I felt that after yesterday’s appalling contribution to Advent, a bit of penitence was in order.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6d4b0dio3b0&w=560&h=315] Continue reading
It’s Friday, which means it’s time for some silliness, and this is kind of impressively silly. And also brilliant. Though I imagine Tchaikovsky is spinning in his grave right now…
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeQfKyzvte8?rel=0]